Timothy Nugent Author
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Chapter 43 - Choices
🕑 Added 2024-08-07 13:00:08 +0000 UTCSelect a basic chi spell to learn.
An extensive list of abilities appeared before him. As he glanced through his options, he considered spells such as Hardened Shell, Invigoration, and Alacrity. Blake mentally filed them away as future options. He planned to choose from these and more over the next few levels, as they would greatly improve his fighting capability, but they would have to wait.
Instead, he focused on a basic chi spell, which he desperately needed.
Regeneration - Temporarily increase your body’s rate of recovery by a factor of ten. Consumes chi energy while active.
With his injuries, it would be foolhardy to fight until he healed. The only reason he had continued to fight with a broken hand was because he was so desperate for relief from the constant hunger.
He had relied upon the kite shield to overcome his broken body. Once it was destroyed, his lungs were seared by a Mander’s Breath of Fire, and he was further exposed to danger.
I choose Regeneration.
After the choice was made, he confirmed his selection and immediately activated the spell. Unlike Invigoration, another basic chi spell, it did nothing to his stamina or energy levels, but began working on his injuries.
He gazed at his broken hand and seared flesh as if he could visualize the repair. The only way he could tell the spell was active, was the constant itching it created as his flesh slowly mended, in addition to the drain on his chi.
Select a basic mana spell to learn.
Blake ignored the prompt and instead altered the heads-up display of his interface. On the right side of his peripheral vision, he added four transparent vertical bars. Each of the four represented a separate energy type, and they were all colored so he could identify them at a glance.
To Blake’s constant disappointment, the Collective did not provide exact numbers to work with, only percentages. However, he ensured each energy type was labeled with those numbers.
In the future, some of the brainwashed survivors would say, ‘The Architect works in mysterious ways.’ He hated that excuse, as well as the other beliefs of the ‘Collectivites’. He felt no one should ever view their conqueror in a positive light.
Currently, his aether, psi, and mana bars were full, and the note beside them stated they were at one hundred percent. Chi, on the other hand, was missing a small sliver from the top and showed he was at ninety-nine percent.
Okay, good enough. Now I can get back to the spells.
When he focused on the spell selection prompt, another list appeared before him. He again considered each. Mana-based abilities could be very powerful, but did not mesh well with his combat style. In order to bring their power to bear, a person must stand frozen while they completed a complex spell form.
During that time, they were vulnerable.
I would need my group back for that.
Breath of Fire, Arc, Shocking Stun, or any of the numerous other spells which damaged his foes directly, could be interrupted. Instead, he required something that would shield him at all times. Something that he could cast before a fight began and could be refreshed afterward.
Flame Shield - Places a protective barrier around a target which protects them from heat. As this heat is absorbed, it radiates outward from the shield, while the target is immune. Flame Shield uses a small amount of mana energy, and lasts until it absorbs a moderate amount of heat or one hour passes.
Blake was annoyed by the phrase ‘small amount of mana’, and ‘moderate amount of heat’. For the hundredth time, he wished the Architect would list exact values rather than vague words. However, from personal experience, he knew at level one it would consume around a quarter of his mana and would survive a battle against the Manders.
Montgomery, his previous group’s mana user, had used this spell often. Its existence was the only reason they even bothered to fight against the Manders. Without it, the heat from their world, as well as the fire spells which they were known for, would fry a party to a crisp.
If Blake wanted to fight in a scenario two levels above him, this spell was key. The Ursa were too physically powerful for a solo fighter and took too long to track down, while the goblins were too numerous. The Manders, however, were easy to find and focused exclusively on fire.
Flame Shield would serve the same purpose as his broken kite shield. However, unlike that reward, the ability could be resummoned when broken once the cooldown cleared.
I choose Flame Shield.
He confirmed his selection and resisted the urge to cast his new spell.
Select a basic Psi spell to learn.
He winced.
Unlike mana, psi spells did not require an extended cast time. Almost all psi abilities took effect instantly, and could be released mid-attack. The ability to attack at range with no cast time and little to no cool down sounded amazing. It was indeed powerful, but psi came with a nasty side effect.
Deadly migraines.
If one stacked too many psi abilities within a small amount of time, the caster’s brain would begin to hemorrhage. It would begin as a dull ache behind the eyes that would suddenly escalate to a blinding pain. Blood would run from their nose and the resulting mental agony would effectively prevent further ability use.
Jeff, his old group’s psi user, never complained. He also hardly ever spoke. However, the rictus grin he held revealed the truth, despite his stoicism.
Psi spells were painful.
Blake scrolled through the long list past Soothe, Remote View, Wrench Object, and others until he located his preferred first spell.
Mental Blast - Focus your psi energy into a mental blast. For a moderate amount of psionic energy, you direct a burst which disrupts the target’s thoughts. Does not harm the target.
This was the same spell that the Ursa used against him days before. While the last sentence of the description was technically true, it was a bit misleading. When afflicted by Mental Blast, your mind felt like it was on fire. The pain was so intense that it was impossible to concentrate. However, the sensation was fleeting. A few moments later, only a slight headache remained.
This ability would allow him to disrupt the spell forms of the Manders from a distance, something he currently lacked. Unfortunately, the spell could only affect a single target. However, before he reached level two, he hoped to evolve it so it would become useful against multiple targets. While technically it could be cast repeatedly, he did not wish to fry his own brain to do so.
I choose Mental Blast.
Select a basic Aether spell to learn.
Blake again reviewed the list of available spells. Aether was a bit more complicated than the other energy types. At least, that was what Rajesh, their aether user, claimed. Most aether spells required the user’s focus while the spell was maintained or channeled.
But it was his highest affinity.
Technically, nothing prevented an aether user from pinning their enemy down with Amplify Mass while they executed it with a sword. However, in practice, if you were to launch anything more than the most basic of attacks, your concentration would be broken and the spell would dissipate.
Rajesh had almost never entered into direct combat. Instead, he stood near Montgomery and disrupted their enemies. While out of combat, he also had a plethora of utility spells which were incredibly useful. Blake, on the other hand, would be in the thick of things.
His first aether spell would be Spatial Shift.
Spatial Shift - Consume a moderate amount of aetheric energy to shift your position by twenty feet. The targeted destination must be in visual range. Once cast, Spatial Shift may not be used again for sixty seconds.
Unlike most aether abilities, Spatial Shift’s cast time was short enough that it did not require channeling. He could utilize it to close the gap between him and the Manders and physically interrupt their spells before they could finish casting them.
Ironically, Rajesh always used the ability for the opposite reason, to escape. When an enemy bore down on him, he would drop whatever spell he currently maintained and shift away to safety. That squeamishness caused a few squabbles in the group, yet kept him alive.
I choose Spatial Shift.
Blake finalized his decision through the interface and leaned back to relax while he waited for Kuruk to arrive. After he returned to Earth, he had almost immediately contacted their blacksmith. He knew the drive from Pinetop to Whiteriver would take over half an hour, and wanted to be efficient with his time.
Why isn’t he here yet? Did something happen?
It had been over two hours since he contacted the new recruit, far more time than was necessary.
Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Hey Kuruk, where are you? Is everything okay?
Kuruk Cosay: Oh shit! Sorry man. Some drama went down and I got distracted. I’ll head out now and be there in thirty minutes.
Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: What drama? Can you talk over holo-chat right now?
Rather than respond by chat, Kuruk opened a video and audio connection to Blake so they could communicate easier.
“Woah, you look rough,” the native remarked.
Blake nodded. The blacksmith leaned against his metal workshop. In the distance, he could faintly hear his mother’s voice. It sounded overly calm, as if she were pacifying an angry person. He had heard her use the same tone with Oliver, right before he left their apartment for good.
He rotated the video feed until he could see her. She stood next to the now upgraded faction hall. It no longer appeared like a shack. Instead, it resembled a quaint cottage with double doors, glass windows, and pillars which supported a covered entrance.
Opposite his mother stood an irate older man. He was in his upper sixties or seventies, was thin, and had a pronounced hunch to his back. The old man pointed his finger accusingly at Blake’s mother.
Although she was obviously in conflict with the man, Blake was pleased to see she seemed more put together than she had been over the past month. He assumed that her new responsibilities had reinvigorated her.
“Hey Kuruk, can you walk closer, so I can hear?” he requested.
The hologram image of his mother and the unknown man expanded until he could make out his words.
“...wasn’t part of the agreement!” he stated firmly.
In a calm voice and a sweet smile, Donna explained, “There is nothing on the lease which prevents us from building more than a single structure. I was very clear with the way I worded it. If you did not wish us to build additional facilities, you should have stated that clearly.”
“I didn’t think I needed to!” he argued. “You said you wanted to build a cabin where your renaissance group could meet, not build a whole damn town!”
“I’m sorry you misunderstood our purpose, Mister Grayburn,” she patiently replied. “But there’s nothing in the lease which prevents us from constructing more.” The calmer his mother sounded, the more angry their landlord became.
“We’ll see about that!” he yelled. “You built these things way too damn fast. There’s no way you got a permit for them, did ya! Let’s find out what the county has to say about things, shall we?” By the end of his tirade, he held a victorious grin.
“Of course we filed the permits,” Donna lied with a smile. “I don’t have the copies on me at the moment. I didn’t expect them to be needed, but if you wait for my husband to get here, I can have him bring them to you for inspection.”
The old man’s grin faded into another scowl. “I don’t believe you.” He barked and then pointed at the nearby faction hall. “There’s no way that things built to code! Maybe we should call the Sheriff here and see what he has to say, eh?”
The escalation to the Sheriff alarmed Blake, and he immediately sent her a text through chat. She frowned as she read his message. But, a moment later, she sighed. “That won’t be necessary, Mister Grayburn.” As she said this, she reached out and pushed his extended hand down and out of her face.
The old man immediately raised his hand again and yelled, “Don’t you touch me!”
His mother replied calmly to the irate landlord, but Blake did not hear what she said. Instead, he said, “Okay Kuruk, hurry up and come get me. I told her to invite him into the Collective and stall until I get there. It looks like she did.” Blake sighed. “I just hope she can keep him there for another hour.”
As Kuruk strode to his old car, he asked, “What you gonna do when you get here?”
“The man wants to get the cops involved.” Blake replied. “They can’t know about this place, not yet.” He shook his head. “I’ll do whatever I have to.”
Comments
Timothy Nugent
Once a portal room is constructed.
1536539
It was mentioned that having a faction allows you to teleport to the town hall once a day.
Timothy Nugent
What teleport?
1536539
Couldn’t just teleport to the guild hall directly?? Or did he already use his once per day teleport?
Undead Writer
Thanks for the chapter!
Timothy Nugent
True, it should read "almost exclusively"
lenkite
"The Manders, however, were easy to find and focused exclusively on fire. " No - he got a paralyzing Mander and a Slow mander before right ?
